The excess covering material (30 Fig 1) is trimmed from a workpiece (20) using a blade assembly 42 having side by side blade segments 44 with cutting edges aligned with the contour (28 Fig 1) to be cut. A rubber roller 58 applies a longitudinal cutting force to the blade segments in sequential fashion by rolling across the blade segments ends 50 opposite the cutting ends. The blade segments are returned to the noncutting position by a tension wire 54 threaded through a notch 52 in the shaft of each of the blade segments. Cutting pressure is adequate to cut through at least three layers of covering material without scoring the substrate. The rubber roller provides a certain resiliency which helps control the cutting pressure. The roller 58 may be driven along a track (82, Fig 5) by a chain drive. <IMAGE>
